Crossfit? is it for me

So I just got back from my first CrossFit workout ever... all I'll say is that its a really intense workout in a very short period of time. I guess thats good because it saves time, helps you develop explosive power by developing the core and the base/legs + I think its keeps you burning calories way after the workout.

I went down to Level4 Crossfit off Leary Way in Ballard where Sean (who is an ultra marathoner!) gave me a free first lesson. We worked on proper form for squats and deadlifts followed by a workout that included 3 repetitions of the following

1) 5oo m of rowing on a concept 2 rower

2) 11 basic lifts (30KG)

3) 21 box jumps

My 500m rowing time is 2:05, but I did the first one in under 2... I tried the same in the second set due to which I ran out of steam. I did pace myself the 3rd time and did it in around 2:10 and completed the 3rd rep more comfortably in 12 min, which Sean said was decent. The best time is around 8 min while people take up to 15 min as well. So I guess Im somewhere in the middle of the bunch :)

There were other people there too who were doing box jumps etc... the advanced min-group was was doing insane 4 ft high standing box jumps! There were some seriously fit people there, including one of the other instructors, Fran who was one of the people in the advanced group (duh!). I also found this pretty cool article she wrote on losing 20 lbs, which you may find useful

CrossFit looks pretty exciting and it should be really good for my tennis game as it develops that elusive explosive power. Im definitely going to sign up, I think!

Or maybe not, heh... I just found this, and I dont want to be this guy :D

C'mon Roger - An open letter to Federer

"There's one more left" - Roger on Wednesday

"I'll have a chance to win this tournament for the next five or ten years, you know" - Roger on Wednesday

"probably later on in life, you know, I'll go 'That was a great match'. But right now it;s not much of ... a positive thing to end this match" -  Roger after losing the Final.

"It is a disaster, the French is nothing in comparison..." - Roger after losing the Final.

Roger, I understand that by your own high standards, you are very disappointed to lose and that you couldn't win 6 in a row. I cant imagine what it must be like to be frustrated by the wind, rain and fading light and to not always be able to serve up the breathless tennis we have come to take for granted.  Worse still, it must hurt to lose to the man who has stood between you and an elusive career slam, and has slowly but gradually gained ground on your most favorite of courts.  Kudos to Nadal, but I know you will be back.

On a personal note, I believe that today's final was the mother of all finals and has injected new life into the game of tennis. People all over the world today were overawed - I went to play tennis soon after the end of the final. After we finished playing,  a man in his late 40's - early 50's took the court sporting a 'Wimbledon' tennis bag. He said that this was the first time he'd stepped onto the court for 10 years. Imagine the impact of the game on kids who may go on to play the game just because of what happened today. Even my NFL/Football loving neighbors were shouting and yelling as if the Seattle Sea Hawks were in a playoff game. 

I know the loss hurts right now and I cant imagine what that feeling of emptiness must feel like. I agree that it is too soon for you to say that you are "happy to be part of one of the greatest matches ever". That by itself is not a consolation for any player who is thirsty to win more titles at the highest level. That is the right attitude to have, but don't be too hard on yourself. You did nothing wrong and have everything to be proud off. 

The world does take you for granted and we are also fickle by nature but we would love to see you win again. 

I know that will come soon - just dont walk away or give up.

I know you wont - you are too good for that.

Signed,

Obaid

The Power of Sheer Will

I called it right here, and it has happened. As much as my heart goes out to Federer, Nadal has finally and deservedly won Wimbledon. 

This game was definitely the best I have ever witnessed - there was no shortage of drama, physical prowess, insane hitting, impossible winners and prolonged, agonizing suspense. Mother nature player her part too, with rain delays at the most apt moments. Wimbledon was a stage today and the world was the audience. Most amazingly, there was no script and they both emerged after each break with their resolve to script an amazing win renewed.  And at the moments when the suspense reached a crescendo, Mother Nature announced the end of the act.

To quote one of my all time favourite songs:

"When the going gets tough, the tough get going"

Today, when the going got tough it only brought out the best in each man. Tennis has emerged for the better and each man is a champion in my heart. People, order your game DVDs, I have already saved the recording on my DVR. The humbleness and awe of a great like McEnroe when he talked about this game being the best he has ever seen, and the humbleness that Nadal exhibited on winning are a sheer testament to the quality of this game.

Does it get any better than this? 

Regardless of who won, we were guaranteed that history would be made. And as the game went on longer the other records that were shattered just became a subtext to the plot. Will Federer do what no one has done before... make Wimbledon his backyard (not that he hasnt already) in a way no one has, or will Nadal win consecutive Roland Garros and Wimbledon titles in his 3rd attempt and enter the hallowed space occupied by the likes of Borg.

In the end Nadal won, but Federer showed us how much he didnt want to let go. In the end it was a battle of sheer will. Who wants it more? In the end the gentle sparring turned to sustained jousting, and it did become a mental fight. By making the finals the two players demonstrated that they obviously had the game to do well and that they belonged on Center Court on Sunday: Federer with his serve, insane forehand and all round excellent grass game... Nadal with his physical power, his curling forehand, curving lefty serves and much improved backhand.

I believe in the end Nadal won because this time he knew he could win. Even though he saw the finish line in sight as early as the 3rd set, where he had 3 breakpoints on the Federer serve... it took till the 5th set for Nadal to return to the plot. He knew he could win and as much as Federer wanted to continue his reign, Nadal did upstage him. I believe this was the difference between Nadal at Wimbledon and Federer at the French... one challenger knew he could win having come so close last year, while the other didnt truly believe.

At the same time, kudos to  Federer for digging deep into the reserve tank and making t so difficult for Nadal. 

At the start of the game, Federer said that he hoped he would have that extra gear to beat Nadal. I believe he did, but Nadal simply was a hill to steep to climb and scripted an insane win through sheer power of will and belief.

Best game ever... Im going to go out and hit myself.. release some of this pent up energy and emotion that has accumulated by sitting on my couch... I look forward to your comments. A more detailed analysis will follow later.

My Wimbledon Prediction

Nadal

Nadal seems to be in better shape than at the same time last year when he was having to play almost every day in the last week due to rain. This year Nadal's preparation has been better - not losing a single set at Roland Garros always helps. He has also had simpler games this year at Wimbledon and he seems to be playing more aggressive tennis... with the Wimbledon courts slowing down and Nadal playing more aggressively, that does make for a more dangerous combination. Nadal has made some easy work of some dangerous opponents such as Gulbis, Youzny and Keifer. His true test will come against Murray who is playing some erratic but inspired tennis. If he gets through his quarter, Nadal is guaranteed a semi against an un-seeded player which really improves his chances of making the finals.

Federer

Federer has had it pretty easy until now, when he takes on the last man to beat him on grass, Ancic in the quarters. Fed while not very impressive in his win over Hewitt, was still very clinical. He will definitely raise the quality of his game as the quality of his opponents increases. The game against Ancic will be a good test and a possible test in the sems against a composed and resurgent Safin awaits,

\\ Current Form \\

- "He no longer plays short balls as he did in the past. You can no longer attack him on his forehand, as I could in the past. He is getting much more aggressive, and it's becoming much more difficult."

Federer on Nadal after the 08 Roland Garros Final

- "If he survives the first couple of rounds this year, I pick him to win Wimbledon"

Borg on Nadal after the 08 Roland Garros Final

- Most of the "pundits" are picking Nadal over Federer. But this is the kind of talk that will motivate Federer and works against Nadals favored position of being teh underdog on grass.

- I believe the main factor in Nadal losing to Federer in last years Wimbledon was his fitness and tendinitis of the knees. Assuming that Nadal is in good physical condition this year, I expect him to be mentally stronger than Federer specially with the way Federer gave up midway through the Roland Garros final. The last thing I expect from Nadal is throwing down the flag in a Wimbledon final - I think he truly believes he can win Wimbledon while Federer is plagued with self-doubt when it comes to winning Roland Garros. Is Federer over the ROland Garros loss?

I hope we get to find out in the Wimbledon finals. I personally have a feeling that its going to be Nadal over Federer in 4.

What do you think?

Plus do you even care who wins on the womens side?

Cool video of Federer and Mirka playing together

I was doing some research for another post when I came across this cool video on youtube. I didnt know Mirka is Swiss too... whats better, I found her and Federer playing together in the Hopman cup (Dec 01 - Jan 02), getting thrashed by Hewitt and Alicia Molik. Apparently this video is from the 2002 Hopman Cup.

You may ask whats changed since then?

- Federer discovered his inner quoa... he owns Hewitt now even though he lost to Robredo and Hewitt in this Hopman cup.

- Federer used to play the Hopman cup back then - I cant imagine him doing the same now

- Federer and Mirka have been going steady for a while... you can see the chemistry on the court. This sees to be more of a social mixed double game for the Swiss rather than a Hopman cup game... but that could also be because this is a dead rubber

- Then there is the small matter of Fed winning 12 Grand Slams since then... the difference is obvious :)

Music in Seattle

The other day I was given a task to find out cool music acs in town... here is what i came up with


The Ting Tings (June 10th, Chop Suey)
Moby (June 11th)
Robyn (Neumos, May 14th)

You can listen to all three here: My Rhapsody Playlist

Here are also some picks from Sasquatch (May 24-26) at the Gorge

- REM
- The Cure
- Death Cab for Cutie
- MIA
- Modest Mouse
- Beirut
- Tegan and Sara
- The Flaming Lips

NCAA MEns Indoor Tennis Championships - Day 3 and wrapup

I spent most of my weekend at the Nordstrom Tennis center at UW, while I didnt get to watch all the games= I did watch some exciting ones. The Ohio vs Georgia doubles action last night was amazing and was probably the highlight in terms of adrenaline packed action. Ohio won the first doubles game, and the #1 and #2 doubles games were oscillating back and forth between match points, breakpoints etc at 7-7. It was amazing to monitor 2 courts at a time waiting for Ohio to win it and get a point on the board. Imagine what the players must ve been thinking since they were playing on adjacent courts.

Also watched 2 games played by Somdev (the #1 ranked player in the country), one against UCLA (Srugo) and another against Ole Miss (Tveit). In both games he lost the 1st set but came back to win the match in 3 sets He doesnt have any standout weapons and an ok serve... he does play a very strategic game - hes got great court coverage and waits for the opponent to go for too much or fall apart mentally. Srugo missed a crucial sitter of a volley when he was serving for the match (and quarter finals) while Tveit was up a break in the 2nd and was on course to winning, but almost couldnt believe he was about to beat the #1 player - he fell apart then and lost it.

Also chatted briefly with Somdev who mentioned that he got back on Monday from India having played Istomin in India's Davis cup win against Uzbekistan. Somdev lost in straight sets but was clearly a bit jet lagged

Other highlights from the weekend

- This German guy Matthias from Ole Miss who is 6 7" and has a huge serve. His groundies arent that great, but volleys are decent. I think he's ranked #5 in the country (not sure). Could he be another Isner?

- The #3 guy in the country, Dominic Inglot, who is 6 4" and from England. He has a huge serve along with a great serve and volley. His volleys were sweet and he had great touch, especially on his one handed backhand. He beat Matthais in their semi final match

- All players have great form and are superb athletes. I know that sounds a bit cliche, but thats the truth. The reflexes on the doubles games were simply amazing. I even saw one guy do something like this, i.e hit a smash of a smash.

- Most of the players on the top teams are foreign. Its interesting that teams like Stanford which primarily recruit from the US as a policy arent doing so well recently while the top teams have crammed their rosters with talent from around the world.

- The future of Indian tennis looks good. Somdev (#1 in the country) and Sanam Singh (played and won #6 singles for Virginia) both play for Virgina. There is a 6 4" Indian guy called Saketh on the Alabama team and Jeevan is anotehr great player for UW who plays #2 singles. Most of the Indian talent seems to come from Chennai in the South

- It was interesting to see Holden Seguso in action for UCLA. The name sounded familiar and when I google him I found out that his dad is one of the great doubles players - Robert Seguso (partnered with Ken Flach). He married a Canadian tennis player Carling Bassett (grad daughter of John Carling of the beer fame). Talk about tennis genes and legacies!

Anyway, I know Mike, Ken, Radha and others were there with me... please leave comments on your experiences/take ways.

Personally I hope to use some of the stuff I saw for some O Quoa action!

NCAA indoor tennis championships, day 2

So this is me reporting courtside, its going to be short and concise :)

I just watched #5 seeded Missispi beat #11 seed Oklahoma

5/6 Oklahoma players are from Ukraine, the 6th is Australian

Missisipi has 3 Swedes, a Norwegian, a South African, a German and a Dutch guy. There is also an American on the team.

The German guy, Matthias is 6 7" and has an amazing serve, he was hitting bombs down the T on his second serve - he played #2 singles

Ucla plays Virginia next, can't wait to see Somdev in action

More to follow, with a video of Matthias' serve action and a few pictures as well

What should team Quoa do for fun

So tennis season is starting, the cries of O Quoa Tenzing waaa are ringing out but we havent reallly done anything fun to promote team bonding! Here are some ideas that I came up with (please vote if you you are on team Quoa). If you dont like the ideas or have other suggestions, please leave a comment in the poll or at the bottom of the post.

Happy voting!

ITA - National Team Indoor Championships, Day 1

I was pretty lucky to watch some great tennis tonight along with Aaron (USTA teammate), Scott Daniels (USTA team coach) and Chris (a friend from work). We watched #2 seed Georgia beat # 15 seeded UW in a thriller - after losing the doubles court (1-2), UW turned up the heat in singles. They were down 0-1 already in the best of 7 games fixture due to losing the doubles (outcome of best of 3 doubles matches count as 1 point) and needed to win 4 out of 6 singles games if they wanted to win the tie.

I wont give a recap of the whole chain of events - you can find them here,but I would like to talk about some of the amazing highlights of the day. The #1 memory of the day was watching Ryo Sekiguchi from Tokyo, and now playing for the huskies, beat his opponent from Georgia. Not only was Ryo the first guy to get the job done for UW in singles, he has the most unique game Ive seen (and that included Santoro). He hits with both hands on both sides and what is wierd is that so did his opponent! What is the probability of that happening? Ryo wore his opponent down by chasing balls and maintaining a nagging and piercing depth on his shots. I think having bo\th hands on each side gives him greater control which he utilizes to guide the ball down the line a lot. The other interesting thing is that he makes up for the reduced reach by being a superb athlete, taking the ball very early and stretching with one hand for the wider ones. I asked him after the game if he had always hit with two hanhs and his reply was 'yes'.

Here is a picture of him:
Among other players in action, the Georgia team included the #1 Spanish jnr of 06, the #1 ranked African jnr of 05 & 06 and the boys US Open Doubles champions... UW had some funky players too... they had this amazing lefty Indian guy on the team who won #2 singles called Jeevan. Then the #1 singles guy from UW, a swiss named Patrik Fischer served lefty but played righty, amazing! Also there are only 2 american players on the UW team

I also chatted with a swede on the Ole Miss team - its turns out theres 3 swedes on that team. Im going to turn up early tomorrow to watch them in action against Oklahoma. #1 seeded Virginia plays next at 11 - they have the #1 ranked singles guy in the country, who beat Isner at last years NCAA championshop. His name is Somdev, he's Indian, and he is just back from playing Davis cup tennis for India... amazing isnt it. UW plays again at 8pm on Sat night

More updates to follow from the court tomorrow using my iPhone!

I shut my eyes...

I shut my eyes
And realized,
I wasnt as tall
As the world thought I was.

Here is what Im listening to today - I call it my Alternative/Punk - Mood Music playlist. You can listen to it here:


1. Do You Realize?? - The Flaming Lips
2. Do You Want To - Franz Ferdinand
3. Undone-The Sweater Song - Weezer
4. I Write Sins Not Tragedies - Panic! At The Disco
5. 1234 - Feist
6. Personal Jesus - Depeche Mode
7. Speed Of Sound - Coldplay
8. When You Were Young - The Killers
9. Loser - Beck
10. Once In A Lifetime (2005 Remastered Album Version ) - Talking Heads
11. Supersonic - Oasis
12. The Hand That Feeds - Nine Inch Nails
13. This Ain't A Scene, It's An Arms Race - Fall Out Boy
14. The Heinrich Maneuver - Interpol
15. Far, Far Away - Wilco
16. Summer Babe (Winter Version) - Pavement
17. Song 2 - Blur
18. Ever Fallen In Love? - Buzzcocks

What Im listening to these days

Ok quick post while Im listening to some great music...

some songs I cant get out of my head like "Hold On" by Razorlight, "Silver Lining" by Rilo Kiley, "Back in Your Head" by Tegan and Sara and "Dashboard" by Modest Mouse... oh and btw Im going to a Decemberists concert at the Moore theatre on 1/30.. yay!

And i was your silver lining
As the story goes
I was your silver lining
But now I'm gold
Rilo Kiley

You can listen to these songs here:

1. Back In Your Head - Tegan and Sara
2. The Con - Tegan and Sara
3. Dashboard - Modest Mouse
4. Tear You Apart - She Wants Revenge
5. True Romance - She Wants Revenge
6. These Things - She Wants Revenge
7. In The Morning - Razorlight
8. America - Razorlight
9. Hold On - Razorlight
10. Silver Lining - Rilo Kiley
11. 15 - Rilo Kiley
12. Breakin' Up - Rilo Kiley
13. The Moneymaker - Rilo Kiley
14. D.A.N.C.E. [Album Version] - Justice
15. Missed The Boat - Modest Mouse
16. Keep The Car Running - Arcade Fire
17. On Call - Kings Of Leon
18. Young Folks - Peter Bjorn and John
19. All My Friends (Single) - LCD Soundsystem
20. House By the Sea - Iron & Wine
21. Dejalo - Rilo Kiley
22. No One (Radio Edit) - Alicia Keys